


More Than Watchmen Wait for the Morning

by Netter



Series: Theology Out of Context [2]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Marvel 616, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: 616 pairing, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-10
Updated: 2015-11-10
Packaged: 2018-04-29 20:03:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 739
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5140766
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Netter/pseuds/Netter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>She watches Will and Jemma wait for sunrise. She's seen this sunrise millions of times and isn't sure exactly what she's waiting for.</p>
            </blockquote>





	More Than Watchmen Wait for the Morning

**Author's Note:**

> I wait for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning.  
> \--Psalm 130:6
> 
> The only place outside Heaven where you can be perfectly safe from all the dangers and perturbations of love is Hell.  
> \--C. S. Lewis, The Four Loves

She watches them wait for the sunrise. She's seen this sunrise millions of times and isn't sure exactly what she's waiting for. 

To see them watch their first sunrise, maybe. 

Generally speaking, this is nothing personal. The needs of the few must give way to the needs of the many, and she doesn’t do well without social stimulation. Plagues have started that way.

Her job, her calling—the isolation of it drives her nuts sometimes, but she takes pride in what she does. Every time a man—almost always a man—gets in her way, all of nature hurtles off the rails. She performs a valuable service, and few but men ever fail to see that.

The Kree, obviously, but there’s no pleasing the Kree.

So, fine—sometimes she has a little fun. Nothing terrible. The astronauts went crazy on their own, but...she didn’t enforce a no-fly zone until Will Daniels, in his superstition, decided that there was one. Will doesn’t have as many screws loose as Marcus Daniels once did, but that’s not saying much. 

Jemma Simmons, on the other hand... Jemma is simply one delightful surprise after another. She’d be fascinating enough if only for her connection to Phil, who she will always hold close in her heart for all the time they’ve spent together.  Jemma, though, is intelligent, crafty, kind, beautiful, strong of heart. A list of how her species has thrived made manifest. The sort of woman that some—those for whom every planet exists in the same dementing, oppressive twilight—call their only light in the darkness.

Death is required by law to live on all inhabited planets. She’s not really sure whose law. This planet hosts fungus, so here she is. For the fungus and the blobs and the tentacled water-monster that only seems to multiply every time a traveler manages to injure it.

She’s been watching fungus grow on this rock for a billion years, which didn't seem that bad when she was almost the only sentient being in the universe, but for eons now she's been waiting, waiting, waiting for someone to show up and tell her why the hell she still needs to be here. Who cares if the water-monster lives forever? It functionally does anyway. 

Some centuries ago, one of the more evolved species made the connection that all work and no play made Jane a dull girl all across the galaxies and began sending her company. As much as it's a condemnation of her occasional lack of professionalism, she’s grateful. Will and Jemma have proven themselves remarkably resilient, interesting companions. Her friends mostly starve before she can even properly meet them. Unfortunate that she can't manage better forms of communication on this planet than near-Death experiences, but—limited resources. She tries to be creative.

Earth’s easier in that way. Here, she's all but locked in. In the company of men and women, she has more tools at her disposal to look human, act human. She can only rise to the complexity of the organisms around her; human beings, even the simplest, are nothing but knots of contradiction.

The side effect is that Death often _feels_ more human. When she least expects it, she’ll love one of them, and love can make the randomness of malaria and dehydration and heart attacks and cancer feel personal even to her. Love turns what isn’t random into cosmic injustice when she's not careful.

That’s to say nothing of the Inhumans, whose very existence has unnecessarily thrown her into situations that should never have required her. 

Such is life these days.

When the opportunity to block Jemma’s path home arises, she says goodbye instead. Over on Earth, she’s too excited by the idea of _talking_ to Jemma. Of possibly even talking to Phil and Jemma at the same time.

On this world, she and Will wait for the sunrise and whoever else comes their way.

Not Thanos. That's the upside. That's what stays her hand when she's so lonely and frustrated that killing every living thing on an entire planet starts looking like a reasonable path to freedom. He won't think to search for her here; why would he? She can't speak to him. Not even to say that she would never, couldn't ever love him on this planet or any other.

By any logical measure, this hell should be her one refuge. But still, part of her expects he will come.

**Author's Note:**

> Couldn't resist the archive warning. No one died, to be clear.
> 
> I accept responsibility for most of this but not Death/Thanos. That's from the comics.


End file.
